Tiverton cops warn residents about opportunistic warm-weather crime

Most criminals are opportunists, and opportunities rise with the temperature.

Kevin P. O'Connor Herald News Staff Reporter @HNKPO

TIVERTON — Most criminals are opportunists, and opportunities rise with the temperature.

Back doors are left open, car windows down, tools and toys get spread across the back lawn.

Every year, police see a springtime rise in the number of reported larcenies. This year is no exception, Detective Jay Dunlea said.

Dunlea posted a warning on the Tiverton Police Department Facebook page on Wednesday. Police received seven reports of larcenies in the past week, about double what they would normally expect, Dunlea said.

“At this time of year, we see a lot of larcenies from cars and from yards,” Dunlea said. “People leave things out, either in their yard or in view in their car. Those disappear.”

Generally, Dunlea said, these are crimes that are easy to prevent.

“These are crimes of opportunity,” Dunlea said. “We are seeing that they are stealing what is easy to steal.

“With the larceny from cars, they are going into unlocked cars and taking what they can grab. They aren’t breaking into cars or tearing out stereos. They are taking cellphones and loose change that was left behind.”

The car break-ins run in cycles, Dunlea said. Generally, it is clear, thieves drive into a neighborhood, go through every open car they can find and get out with whatever they can grab as quickly as possible.

“These thieves look for open doors and they take anything left out that they can grab fast.”

The same is true with house break-ins. The town receives reports of about 100 house break-ins a year. Many of those do not involve forced entry. In the summer, people are more likely to leave doors unlocked and windows open, Dunlea said.

“We just want people to be thinking about protecting their belongings,” he said. “It is time to be a little more cautious.”